1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to decorative laminate structures and more particularly to a process for applying images by sublimation printing to wooden articles such as furniture and decorative plaques.
2. Description of the Prior Art
This invention relates to the treatment of various wooden surfaces so that they may be decorated by a sublimation printing process. Such printing processes involve, as a first step, full color lithographic printing on paper using "dispersal" dyes having the property of subliming or vaporizing to a gas when heated. A second step involves transferring the printed image under heat and, usually under pressure, in a transfer press to a substrate formed of material which is receptive to the sublimable ink. The inks are capable of being printed onto the paper by lithographic printing methods using etched gravure press cylinders and standard lithographic paper, so that one can obtain the high quality and full color reproduction achievable by these techniques.
Sublimation transfer processes have been found to be particularly useful in printing full color reproductions onto polyester fabric. Excellent color quality and efficient transfer is possible with such fabrics, but poor results are usually obtained on non-textile items such as wood, particle board, plastic sheets, leather, rubber and other organic or natural materials.
More recent advances have been made in printing non-textile items such as wood by first painting the wooden components with a base coat to obtain a background color. Thereafter the desired image is silk screened over the base color. Often complex images require six or more colors thus requiring that the board be handled each time a separate color is applied making tight registration difficult. After all colors have been applied, the wooden article is returned to the paint line for the application of a clear topcoat.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,263 issued to Davis, discloses a method for producing a laminate bearing a permanently visible pattern. The laminate comprises a binder layer containing pigment and a transparent layer, each layer being formed for a synthetic polymer such as polyester. Sublimable dyestuff is heat treated from an auxiliary web to the transparent layer to submerge the pattern into an external surface of the transparent layer.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,952 issued to Harris, Jr. et al, discloses a method for computerized transfer printing into a substrate. Various substrates may be employed including paper, wood, plastic, natural cloth, synthetic cloth, carpet material, concrete, glass, metal, such as steel, porcelain, and ceramic.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,842,613 issued to Purser discloses a process for heat transfer printing a pattern of disperse dyes onto a non-metallic inorganic surface such as glass or ceramic.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,722 issued to Kolb discloses a process for applying images by transfer printing disperse dyes onto furniture components especially for those used in juvenile furniture. A pigmented polyester base coat is coated and cured over the wood component and a sublimation decal is transfer printed onto the polyester coating at a temperature of around four hundred degrees Fahrenheit.
While the quality of printing on wooden articles has improved, there is a need for further refinement so that higher quality printed wooden surfaces are obtainable and more efficient and less costly printing is accomplished. Thus, there remains the need for a new and improved process for applying images by transfer printing to furniture articles, especially end pieces for use in specialized furniture, which is simple and economical to use.